Mr. Benedict Character Analysis in The Mysterious Benedict Society

Mr. Benedict is an eccentric man who recruits the four main children to fight Mr. Curtain. Mr. Benedict is an unparalleled genius, and years ago he detected the hidden messages that Mr. Curtain conceals within radio and television transmissions. He has created a series of tests to find the children most capable of infiltrating Mr. Curtain’s Institute, from which Mr. Curtain operates his plans. Mr. Benedict is friendly, wise, and easily amused. He also has narcolepsy, a condition that makes him fall asleep without warning. His narcolepsy is triggered by strong emotions—usually laughter, which fits his jovial nature. To combat his narcolepsy, Mr. Benedict wears a peculiar pattern of green plaid that helps keep him awake. His condition leads Number Two and Rhonda, his associates and adopted daughters, to watch over him protectively. Mr. Benedict believes that Reynie, Sticky, Kate, and Constance are necessary to defeat Mr. Curtain, but he hates putting children in danger and gives them every opportunity to turn down his offer. Like the children, Mr. Curtain grew up an orphan, and as an infant he was separated from his twin brother. This makes him ignorant of the fact that Mr. Curtain is in fact his twin until the children are already at the Institute. Unlike the solitary Mr. Curtain, Mr. Benedict has formed a family of people he loves. He imparts the importance of creating one’s own family to Reynie, and at the end of the book, Mr. Benedict asks Constance if she will join his family. She accepts, and he happily adopts her.

Mr. Benedict Quotes in The Mysterious Benedict Society

The The Mysterious Benedict Society quotes below are all either spoken by Mr. Benedict or refer to Mr. Benedict. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

“I want to make some things perfectly clear,” said Mr. Benedict. “It is not my wish to put you in harm’s way. Quite the opposite: I despite the notion. Children should spend their time learning and playing in absolute safety––that is my firm belief. Now then, assuming that I am telling the truth, can you guess why I would nonetheless involve you in something dangerous?”

[…]

“If you’re telling the truth,” said Reynie, “then the only reason you would put us in danger is that you believe we’ll fall into greater danger if you don’t.”

Related Characters: Mr. Benedict (speaker), Reynie Muldoon (speaker)

Page Number and Citation: 78-79

Explanation and Analysis:

“…Would you consider this a good move?”

“I’m no great chess player, sir, but I would say not. By starting over, white loses the advantage of going first.”

“Why, then, do you think the white player might have done it?”

Reynie considered…. “Perhaps he doubted himself.”

Related Characters: Mr. Benedict (speaker), Reynie Muldoon (speaker)

Page Number and Citation: 90

Explanation and Analysis:

Part of him wanted not to believe Mr. Benedict. Could he really be trusted? ...It would be such a relief to think his predictions about the thing to come were nothing more than wild speculation. And yet Reynie did trust Mr. Benedict, had trusted him almost immediately. What troubled Reynie was that he so badly wanted to trust Mr. Benedict––wanted to believe in this man who had shown faith in him, wanted to stay with these children who seemed to like and respect Reynie as much as he did them.

And so the question was not whether Reynie could trust Mr. Benedict, but whether he could trust himself. Who in his right mind would actually want to be put in danger just because that let him be a part of something?

Related Characters: Reynie Muldoon, Mr. Benedict

Page Number and Citation: 135-136

Explanation and Analysis:

Reynie wasn’t surprised by his friends’ responses. He too had been wary of the notion when it occurred to him. But were they not secret agents? Was not their very presence on the island a deception? Kate and Sticky’s reaction was just an instinctive response, he thought; they would come around in a minute. Still, Reynie was troubled….Where was his powerful love of truth?...Was he perhaps not quite the truth-loving brave soul Mr. Benedict and everyone else thought him to be?

Related Characters: Reynie Muldoon, Kate Wetherall , Sticky Washington, Mr. Benedict

Page Number and Citation: 225

Explanation and Analysis:

“You must remember, family is often born of blood, but it doesn’t depend on blood. Nor is it exclusive of friendship. Family members can be your best friends, you know. And best friends, whether or not they are related to you, can be your family.”

Reynie had drunk up those words like life-saving medicine….[He] had gone to bed thinking of the people he might one day––if everything turned out all right––consider a part of his family.

Related Characters: Mr. Benedict (speaker), Reynie Muldoon

Page Number and Citation: 257

Explanation and Analysis:

[Reynie] was hoping against hope that Mr. Benedict would find some way to save them––to save everyone––without requiring anything more from him. Reynie didn’t think he was capable of more, not since the Whisperer. He was worried, deeply worried, that the Whisperer had revealed to him who he truly was.

Related Characters: Reynie Muldoon, Mr. Benedict

Page Number and Citation: 353-354

Explanation and Analysis:

“Mr. Benedict! Is he the one who tricked you into joining him, who encouraged you to cheat on quizzes, who offered you ‘special opportunities’? Or was that Mr. Curtain, who said cheating doesn’t bother him, who rounded up poor unfortunates only to give them a better life, who has offered you a chance to be an Executive? How different are the two men? Not very, Reynard. The only difference is that one can offer you only suffering now, while the other offers you a way to belong––a way to relieve the loneliness.”

Related Characters: Reynie Muldoon (speaker), Ledroptha Curtain, Mr. Benedict

Page Number and Citation: 440

Explanation and Analysis:

“Just a few minutes more, Number Two. Let them play. They are children, after all.”

And this was certainly true, if only for the moment.

Related Characters: Mr. Benedict (speaker), Number Two, Reynie Muldoon, Sticky Washington, Kate Wetherall , Constance Contraire

Page Number and Citation: 485

Explanation and Analysis:

Mr. Benedict Character Timeline in The Mysterious Benedict Society

The timeline below shows where the character Mr. Benedict appears in The Mysterious Benedict Society. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...the maze test when she was a child and had significant trouble. She says that Mr. Benedict designed the maze to thwart any tricks. Reynie asks who Mr. Benedict is, and Rhonda... (full context)

...tests, which makes the pencil woman blush. Kate interrupts to ask when they can meet Mr. Benedict , and the pencil woman says that he is ready to see them now. Rhonda... (full context)

The study, like every room in the house, is full of books. Mr. Benedict emerges from a pile of books, revealing himself to be a friendly, unkempt old man... (full context)

Mr. Benedict reads some of Constance’s test answers to the other children, and her quips make him... (full context)

...she is so tiny that the other children almost don’t notice her. Number Two tells Mr. Benedict that Constance sat down and had a picnic instead of finishing the maze. Constance refuses... (full context)

Mr. Benedict divulges that the project is a dangerous mission that might put the children’s lives at... (full context)

...hiding something, which suggests that Sticky might be alone as well. Sticky is shocked, and Mr. Benedict tells him that he is willing to break his policy against taking in runaways if... (full context)

Reynie is used to ignoring loneliness, but the sincerity of Mr. Benedict ’s emotion makes Reynie miss Miss Perumal. Mr. Benedict wakes up, and after Rhonda and... (full context)

...weigh his fear with his desire to be a part of something. He realizes that Mr. Benedict is asking the children to do something important, and “a strange sense of duty, not... (full context)

...Sticky and Kate for ages, and he resolves that even if nothing else comes of Mr. Benedict ’s team, at least Reynie has made friends. (full context)

After Sticky is asleep, Reynie creeps downstairs to Mr. Benedict ’s study. Mr. Benedict is still awake, and he asks if Reynie is looking to... (full context)

Mr. Benedict is stricken by Reynie’s sadness, and he falls asleep. Only a moment later, though, he... (full context)

...leaves for duty, and Rhonda tells the children never to leave the house without Milligan. Mr. Benedict and Number Two come in. Number Two sticks close to his side until he is... (full context)

Mr. Benedict tells the children about the house’s alarm bell and instructs them to gather on the... (full context)

Mr. Benedict admits that he has learned some things about the Sender, including the fact that they... (full context)

Mr. Benedict explains that the Sender controls “the adhesive property of thoughts”––the way thoughts are attracted to... (full context)

Mr. Benedict continues that something terrible is approaching, but when Sticky asks what it is, he confesses... (full context)

Mr. Benedict falls asleep, startled by the emergency bell. Abruptly, the bell stops ringing and the lights... (full context)

...in the maze, where the intruders shocked her with wire that flicked from their watches. Mr. Benedict tells the children that the Sender hires kidnappers to capture vulnerable children to send his... (full context)

Mr. Benedict explains that the Institute largely admits orphans and runaways, and sometimes children are taken there... (full context)

Kate eagerly accepts the role of secret agent, but the other children hound Mr. Benedict with questions as he explains the logistics of the plan. The children will leave for... (full context)

Mr. Benedict and the children will convey information between them through Morse code, which Sticky offers to... (full context)

...and that his captors were the men they encountered in the maze. Milligan adds that Mr. Benedict believes Milligan was once a secret agent. He came to Mr. Benedict for help, and... (full context)

...a far stronger signal, which makes Reynie suspect Curtain is saving up energy for something. Mr. Benedict comes in and confirms this, referring to this unknown evil as “the thing to come.” (full context)

Kate asks what will happen when the Sender boosts the power, and Mr. Benedict tells her that the only thing they know for certain is that increasing the power... (full context)

Sticky asks if the Curtain’s success would really be so bad. Mr. Benedict grimly suggests that it would be especially bad for them––people who love truth and can... (full context)

Reynie is tempted not to believe Mr. Benedict , who is an odd man and might just be losing his mind. But he... (full context)

...They all express worry about having her on the mission, but Reynie points out that Mr. Benedict wouldn’t have let her join if she wasn’t important. Still, Kate and Sticky ask Reynie... (full context)

Reynie finds Mr. Benedict in his study. He is uneasy; it seems wrong to complain about Constance and to... (full context)

Reynie tells Sticky and Kate about his discussion with Mr. Benedict , and they reluctantly agree to do the mission with Constance. Reynie rushes back to... (full context)

Number Two leaves the study, and Reynie goes in to tell Mr. Benedict that all the children choose to continue. He is about to return to his room... (full context)

...suggests they start with what brought them together, which Sticky and Kate immediately identify as Mr. Benedict . They try a few more ideas before Constance interrupts. She suggests “The Mysterious Benedict... (full context)

...Rhonda drives the children of the Mysterious Benedict Society through the woods, pointing out where Mr. Benedict and the others will watch for the children’s signals. She instructs the children to keep... (full context)

...two friendly young guards greet them. Reynie is incredibly anxious. He thinks back to leaving Mr. Benedict ’s house, when all the adults looked exhausted and sad, but also hopeful. Reynie cannot... (full context)

...be there and plots a way to climb up. Reynie stops her, reminding her of Mr. Benedict ’s warning against unnecessary risks. The children remain outside for some time. Kate is especially... (full context)

...eyes. The Mysterious Benedict Society are stunned to see that Mr. Curtain is in fact Mr. Benedict , right down to his green plaid suit. Reynie is horrified, and he tries to... (full context)

...send a brief, cryptic message in Morse to the mainland, conveying that Mr. Curtain is Mr. Benedict . A long time passes without a response, until finally the children receive a riddle:... (full context)

Kate asks why Mr. Benedict hadn’t told them that he had a twin on the island, and Reynie says he... (full context)

...how the lessons fit with the hidden messages. They prepare to report their findings to Mr. Benedict , but Mr. Curtain and some Executives are in a position outside to see the... (full context)

The children are shocked to realize that Constance possesses one of the “exceptionally sensitive minds” Mr. Benedict referred to. Sticky points out that Constance’s ability might be useful, since she can know... (full context)

...the evening. As the children meet up in the boys’ room, Reynie figures out what Mr. Benedict ’s message means. Since time is running out, the children need to become Messengers as... (full context)

...they need to beat him at his own game. The children send a message to Mr. Benedict to ask if they should cheat. He responds simply, “Do not get caught.” (full context)

...office is white and sparsely decorated. On the wall is a map of Holland, where Mr. Benedict was born, and below that is a row of bookshelves locked to prevent access to... (full context)

...that, to take action. Sticky protests that they are doing all they can. They tell Mr. Benedict what they’ve learned, and he responds that there may be a way to restore memories... (full context)

...and then rejected, or to always have been alone. He recalls his last night at Mr. Benedict ’s. Reynie had asked the older man if he had ever wished for a family,... (full context)

...promoting Mr. Curtain, though the children don’t know its purpose. They report their findings to Mr. Benedict and go to bed, pleased that they are making progress. (full context)

They signal the news to Mr. Benedict on the mainland. He responds that the children must seek “with open eyes” to find... (full context)

...may hold many things. Similarly, one phrase can contain many thoughts. The boys understand that Mr. Benedict ’s Receiver only detects the phrases, not the underlying information within them. (full context)

...She has shut her eyes tightly in anxiety, which gives Reynie an idea. He recalls Mr. Benedict ’s message that they should explore with “open eyes now,” implying that their eyes were... (full context)

...to keep students away from the boulders themselves, which hide secret entrances. Sticky asks how Mr. Benedict would know this, and Reynie points out that Mr. Benedict must have used his telescope... (full context)

...leave the secret passages and return to the dorms, where Sticky relays their findings to Mr. Benedict . Mr. Benedict asks them to wait for a reply. As they wait, Reynie hopes... (full context)

When Mr. Benedict at last responds, the message is simply, “Know thine enemy.” The children don’t understand, so... (full context)

...to take them off the island. Reynie is relieved, but Kate resists. She asks if Mr. Benedict has formed a plan, and Mulligan reluctantly says that he has not, but he wants... (full context)

...Sticky looks longingly toward the mainland, but he agrees that they are the only chance Mr. Benedict ’s plan has. Milligan tells them that Mr. Benedict prepared a message in case the... (full context)

Reynie hopes that Mr. Benedict will provide the encouragement he needs. He sends a Morse message to the mainland asking... (full context)

...she is secretly pleased to have been useful. The boys tell her they will signal Mr. Benedict , and they send her off to bed. (full context)

...he amends the thought: he can’t face the Whisperer alone. He proposes the children follow Mr. Benedict ’s advice about relying on each other and face Mr. Curtain and the Whisperer together.... (full context)

...become sick, but the children are too worried about Milligan to celebrate. They signal to Mr. Benedict that Milligan has been captured, and the response is simply, “Laughter is the best medicine.”... (full context)

The next morning, Reynie has an idea about what Mr. Benedict means. Before he can share his thought with Sticky, S.Q. Pedalian summons the boys to... (full context)

...Whisperer, closes his eyes in concentration. Reynie uses this opportunity to rush to the window. Mr. Benedict and his associates promised to watch the island constantly through the telescope, so Reynie waves... (full context)

...dressed, but Constance refuses to get out of bed. Kate considers leaving Constance behind, but Mr. Benedict ’s plan called for all four of them. Kate refuses to be the one to... (full context)

...Curtain, Reynie could be part of something. He wonders how different Mr. Curtain is from Mr. Benedict . Mr. Benedict tricked Reynie into joining him with the promise of “special opportunities” and... (full context)

...risks Kate has taken. Reynie sits in the Whisperer and remembers the last question of Mr. Benedict ’s first quest, which asked if he is brave. Reynie decides that he isn’t brave.... (full context)

...he notices Reynie staring at him intently. Reynie remarks, “It isn’t laughter.” He explains that Mr. Benedict is triggered by laughter, and Mr. Curtain isn’t––but Mr. Curtain must be triggered by something.... (full context)

...Reynie urges his friends to think of everything they love. He holds onto Miss Perumal, Mr. Benedict , his friends, and his favorite books. Mr. Curtain exclaims that the Whisperer no longer... (full context)

...the boys try to free her, Rhonda Kazembe and Number Two come in, followed by Mr. Benedict . Mr. Benedict congratulates the children on doing so well. He kneels besides Constance and... (full context)

...Mr. Curtain on the floor as Rhonda ushers the children to the secret exit and Mr. Benedict takes his brother’s place in the Whisperer. The others, even Number Two, are astounded to... (full context)

Sticky asks what will happen if Mr. Curtain stops Mr. Benedict from disabling the Whisperer, and Rhonda answers that Mr. Benedict has instructed them all to... (full context)

Before he leaves to retrieve Mr. Benedict , Milligan tells the story of escaping the Waiting Room. In the story, Milligan holds... (full context)

...to have her father back, and now he intends to leave on mission to rescue Mr. Benedict , which is “not just dangerous—hopeless.” She fiercely insists that either Milligan will stay with... (full context)

...his tranquilizer gun at Mr. Curtain, but Reynie stops him, revealing Mr. Curtain to be Mr. Benedict in disguise. Milligan is stunned; he has never seen Mr. Benedict speak as unkindly as... (full context)

Mr. Curtain escapes the island, but Mr. Benedict successfully convinces governmental officials to raid the Institute. His claims are finally credible now that... (full context)

Mr. Benedict insists that the children are the true heroes of the adventure. A few weeks after... (full context)

...only unhappy member of the group, though he tries to hide it. He asks how Mr. Benedict disabled the Whisperer, and Mr. Benedict explains he finished what the children began. He convinced... (full context)

The next day, Mr. Benedict pulls Sticky aside to inform him that his parents have arrived. Mr. Benedict explains that... (full context)

During the party, Number Two finds Mr. Benedict asleep on his desk with an expression of pure joy. He has asked Constance if... (full context)

The children are engaged in a snowball fight while their families watch happily. Mr. Benedict is so happy that he laughs himself to sleep over and over until the sun... (full context)

Mr. Benedict Character Analysis

Mr. Benedict Quotes in The Mysterious Benedict Society

Chapter 4 Quotes

Chapter 5 Quotes

Chapter 8 Quotes

Chapter 17 Quotes

Chapter 20 Quotes

Chapter 29 Quotes

Chapter 36 Quotes

Chapter 39 Quotes

Mr. Benedict Character Timeline in The Mysterious Benedict Society